DHL Goes Viral - Man Uses GPS To Create Global Self Portrait:
The 17th of March 2008 I sent away a briefcase containing a GPS device with the express transportation company DHL. I gave them exact travel instructions, where to go and in what order. 55 days later the briefcase returned to Stockholm. The GPS automatically recorded the briefcase's journey around the world. The information was downloaded to my computer and gave me my drawing. Due to the GPS drawing technique and the magnitude of the drawing, the self portrait had to be made in just one stroke. That giant stroke passed through six continents and 62 countries, thus becoming 110,664 km long.
On first viewing, I knew something wasn't right about this story. I don't doubt the journey of the briefcase as stated, I only doubt the purpose of the video. This wasn't about creating a self portrait or expressing artistic freedoms, it was about press. My money says this is a viral ad campaign by DHL. It looks like DHL, upset over all of the press UPS has been getting with it's prized horse Big Brown, wanted some attention. The company wanted to create a video that would go 'viral' and make their company look 'global'. Odds are this video will accomplish both of those tasks. In the end, advertisement or not, it's an interesting story and a clever video. Give it a watch...
1 comment:
My money says this is a viral ad campaign by DHL.
Aw, c'mon. Are you seriously telling me that DHL would NOT fly around in circles in the middle of the Arctic and Indian Oceans and drive all over the African continent just so some hippie wanna-be could do some weird art project?
My favorite part was when he said "I gave them exact travel instructions, where to go and in what order." Yeah, riiight. I'm sure they were all ears. Even supposing they were in on it, how much would actually doing this have cost them in jet fuel alone.
I thought this would at least be kinda cool, but it gets stupider the more I think about it.
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